Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2017 Graduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Computer Engineering, Ph.D.


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Each field of specialty sets its course requirements for doctoral students in that field. The department’s minimum requirement is eleven (11) courses (beyond the bachelors degree). The doctoral student must spend the equivalent of at least three (3) years of full-time residency, with at least one (1) year on the UMBC campus. The doctoral dissertation must be an original and substantive contribution to knowledge in the student’s major field. It must demonstrate the student’s ability to carry out a program of research and to report the results in accordance with standards observed in the recognized scientific journals related to that field.

Doctoral students must: (a) submit their PhD Comprehensive Portfolio and receive a pass grade (P) within four (4) semesters of entrance to the program (six (6) semesters for part-time students); (b) develop and defend a doctoral dissertation proposal and be admitted to doctoral candidacy within four (4) years of entrance to the program; and (c) complete all Ph.D. requirements for their field of specialty within four (4) years of admission to doctoral candidacy.

Course Requirements


Students must satisfy the minimum course requirements for their field of specialty (typically eleven (11) courses totaling 33 credits) excluding the department’s graduate seminar, graduate research credits prior to Ph.D. candidacy, and doctoral dissertation research credits. Five (5) of the eleven (11) courses must be the three (3) core and two (2) focused elective courses as specified in the M.S. degree requirements. The remaining elective courses must be CMPE courses and, with prior approval from their advisor and Graduate Program Director, a limited number of graduate science and engineering courses. Check the CMPE Graduate Program website for further requirement details. Students cannot take doctoral dissertation research (CMPE 899 ) credits before passing the preliminary examination, but can take pre-candidacy doctoral research (CMPE 898 ) credits during this period.

Graduate Seminar


CMPE Ph.D. students are expected to attend the regular Computer Science (CMSC 608 ) or Electrical Engineering (ENEE 608 ) seminars. Check the CMPE Graduate Program website for updates to the seminar requirement at www.csee.umbc.edu or www.cs.umbc.edu/programs/graduate/computer-engineering-ms-phd/.

Comprehensive Portfolio


Each student must pass a written examination based on the material covered in the four breadth courses. The comprehensive examinations are offered twice a year and may be retaken once if failed the first time, provided the time limit (four semesters for full-time students and five semesters for part-time students) is not exceeded. Any student who fails the exam twice will be dismissed from the graduate program. See the department’s graduate program Web site at www.cs.umbc.edu/CSEE/grad/ for detailed policies for comprehensive exams.

PhD Comprehensive Portfolio


The CMPE PhD Comprehensive Portfolio consists of three (3) components: (a) GPA performance on the three (3) core plus two (2) focused elective courses, (b) the Research Activity Report (RAR), and (c) two (2) faculty support letters. See the CMPE Graduate Program website http://www.csee.umbc.edu/programs/graduate/computer-engineering-ms-phd/ or www.csee.umbc.edu for details on the CMPE PhD Comprehensive Portfolio policy.

Preliminary Examination (Prelim)


Each student must select a dissertation advisor and a dissertation committee. Students must pass a two-part preliminary examination, which is required for PhD candidacy. In the first part, the student presents and defends the dissertation proposal to the committee. In the second part, the committee examines the student orally on their research area(s) to assess the student’s ability to complete the proposed research successfully. Each full-time student must pass the preliminary examination within one-and-a-half years after passing the PhD comprehensive portfolio to remain in the Ph.D. program. Part-time students will be given two-and-a-half years to pass the preliminary examination. Check the CMPE Graduate Program website for updates to this requirement.

Ph.D. Candidacy


After passing the preliminary examination (prelim) and completing the course requirements, the Graduate Program Committee recommends to the Graduate School that the student be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

Dissertation Research


The student conducts and reports (dissertation) on a significant original research topic under the guidance of their dissertation advisor. The doctoral dissertation must be an original and substantive contribution to knowledge in the student’s major field. It must demonstrate the student’s ability to: (a) conduct a program of research and (b) report the results in accordance with standards observed in the recognized scientific journals related to that field. This research must be completed and defended within four (4) years of admission to candidacy. Students must be admitted to candidacy at least two (2) full sequential semesters before the date on which the doctoral degree is to be conferred. Doctoral candidates take at least sixteen (16) dissertation credits (CMPE 899 ). The Ph.D. dissertation committee must include four (4) graduate faculty members from the CSEE department and one external member.

Residency Requirements


A minimum of three (3) years of full-time graduate study or its equivalent is required. At least one (1) year of full-time study must be completed at UMBC.

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